The US Navy has reportedly fired hypervelocity projectiles intended for electromagnetic railguns out of a 40-year-old deck gun that is standard issue on many cruisers and destroyers in hopes of providing a low-cost defense solution against drones and cruise missiles, a new report says.

Twenty hypervelocity projectiles were fired from the USS Dewey (DDG-105), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, as part of a test conducted by the US Navy and the Defense Department's Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), unnamed officials told USNI News Monday.

The test was part of an SCO effort to prove that a 40-year-old deck gun filled with high-tech ammunition could effectively shoot down drones and various types of cruise missiles, USNI News added. The report does not mention if the tests were successful.